The Sun-Mover from California SunbounceAs portable reflectors go, the Sun-Mover is one of the best. Just be careful when you open it.June 2, 2009 By Dan Havlik 
The Sun-Mover is also extremely portable, folding up to a third of its size and fitting into a small canvas satchel (included) so you can easily stow it in a photo backpack or large camera bag when shooting portraits on location. If the Sun-Mover has an Achilles Heel it's that this portability comes with a startling flaw: It's downright scary to use. And I'm not being facetious or colloquial when I say "scary," as in, it's "scary good." Opening it up can be a potentially dangerous experience. The Sun-Mover is able to fold up into a small bag while maintaining its rigidity when open because it uses a unique fabric/spring steel-frame system called PermaTense. The oval-shaped reflector—available with Silver and White sides, or Zebra (a gold and silver zigzag pattern) and White sides—literally springs to life when you open it from the bag, almost like a jack-in-the-box. When unleashed, the Sun-Mover bursts into to a 33.5 x 31-inch oval disk with handles. Whamm-o! In fact there are explicit warnings written on the bag to be careful when you open it. Seriously, if you're not paying attention, you could put an eye out with this thing. (Or, at least, break an expensive vase in a client's home.) SUN OF A GUN Okay, maybe I'm overdoing it a bit on the danger factor. Just remember to pay attention and you should be fine. More importantly, once it's open, you'll find yourself with one of the best portable reflectors on the planet. There's a real point to maintaining the rigidity on the Sun-Mover's surface—what Sunbounce calls "permanent tension"—since it helps the reflector throw a consistent amount of light onto your subject even on windy days. The built-in handles also help keep it taut and since it's oval-shaped, not a circle, you get some extra surface area when you pull the handles apart. (Sun-bounce has a series of videos on its Web site where people play the rigid reflector like a drum.) I tested the Sun-Mover with Jason Groupp, a wedding photographer friend of mine who already uses the California Sunbounce MINI which is larger than the Sun-Mover and rectangle shaped. After trying out the new oval reflector during just one engagement shoot, Jason wants to add it to his bag permanently. "The fact that you can fold it up is extremely valuable," he noted. "For the last couple of location weddings I shot, I couldn't bring the Sunbounce MINI because it had to fit in a suitcase or it would count as an extra carry-on. With the Sun-Mover, I could just put it in my backpack or slide it in my laptop bag's sleeve." Set-up for the MINI, which is assembled with folding tubes, takes extra time—about two-three minutes—and if Jason's working with a new assistant, he has to show him or her to do it. With the Sun-Mover it's just. . .whamm-o! Of course, the surface area for the MINI (35 x 49 inches) is bigger so for shoots where Groupp needs extra bounce for the scene, he'd stick with that model. "But if I was alone and it was really windy and just needed a little something extra, this is perfect," he said. We both preferred the Zebra/White sided model which costs $10 extra compared to the Silver/White sided model, because of the nice warm glow it produces. (Sunbounce estimates that the Zebra side lowers the color temperature by 400 degrees Kelvin.) THE BOTTOM LINE If you're careful when you open it, the oval-shaped Sun-Mover from California Sunbounce expands into one of the best portable reflectors out there for adding a nice warm glow to your portraits. Just remember to keep it away from pets, small children, and Ming vases, unless you're photographing them.
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